


Part of his family

by BlackRoseMii



Series: Fair Game Week 2020 [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Family, M/M, Weapons, fairgameweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23197489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackRoseMii/pseuds/BlackRoseMii
Summary: Watching Qrow interact with his nieces always made Clover wish he'd be part of his family. But lately, he is being reminded why getting close to someone isn't easy for him...
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Fair Game Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665493
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66





	Part of his family

**Author's Note:**

> Even though it's a wholesome prompt, here are the first hints of future angst.

„ _Look, it's him.“ „He aced another test. Again.“ „I bet he didn't even need to study. Lucky bastard.“_

„ _He's got all the teachers attention. Must be nice, being talented like that.“ „Talent? Are you sure it's not just his semblance?“ „I'm sure I'd come this far with a semblance like that, too.“_

„ _His team was the first to win. And they even gave them the toughest Grimm.“ „I heard he was the only one fighting. Have you seen his skills?“ „Oh come on, that victory wasn't because of any skills. He just got lucky.“ „Just like everything else he does.“_

„ _Did you hear what happened to Ebis team? They-“_

He hadn't remembered those voices for quite a while now. Hushed voices that judged him behind his back. Just loud enough for him to hear. That was intentional, he knew that. But he successfully shut them out back then.

Then why were they back again?

„Good work everybody,“ the brunette said, clapping his hands to get the others' attention. „I think you really deserve a break.“

Exhausted sighs and groans went around the group of young huntsmen and huntresses. They had been training with the ace operatives almost the entire day and their bodies were reaching their limits.

Even their more experienced mentors had to catch their breath.

„You've improved a lot over the past few weeks, I'm impressed.“

„We couldn't have done that without you though,“ Ruby said.

Even though she was one of the youngest, she had taken the position of the leader quite well. And the others were trusting her leadership.

But the moment of maturity was quickly over when a hand ruffled her hair and she squeaked in surprise.

„Don't be so modest, kiddo. You guys are the ones training like there's no tomorrow.“

Ruby laughed as she tried to remove Qrow's hand. He let her fight it a bit, but pulled away after a few seconds and continued.

„By the way, it looked like you had some problems with your weapon,“ the black-haired man said, nodding towards the girls scythe.

„Oh yeah. I've noticed that, too. I think there's something stuck in the mechanism.“

The girl tried to turn the weapon back into its rifle form, but she struggled to do so. Once she applied more force, the weapon clicked loudly and finally switched forms.

Her uncle scratched his chin, staring at the weapon. After a few moments he started to talk again.

„I think I know what it could be. But we'll need to take it apart.“

As if this was his cue, the brunette – who had been watching the two – spoke up.

„You can use the academy's workshop if you want. I don't think any of the students are there right now. I was about to head there, too.“

As expected of the most well-funded school on Remnant, the workshop was huge. Possibly more than half of the students could fit into it without a problem. The technology was the best Atlas had to offer, and if anyone needed any help, there were always several of the academy staff present standing by.

Clover led them into the room and turned around when he noticed they weren't following him anymore. While the young huntsmen and huntresses that joined them took in the sight with mouths open, Ruby could barely contain herself and was practically vibrating with excitement. Her uncle knew better than to stop her when she went off on her own.

Qrow made his way to Clover and whistled after taking another look around the room.

„Atlas really doesn't do things half-assed.“

The brunette chuckled in response.

„Only the best for our future, right?“

The huntsman nodded absently, watching his niece gush over every little piece of weaponry she could find. Clover wasn't sure if he had even heard him properly, but he didn't mind. Not when he got to see the look of pride in Qrow's eyes. He just couldn't stop staring at him.

They were both brought out of their thoughts when the girl called her uncles name and waved him towards her.

„Look! This tool is specially made for scythes! I've never seen something like this!“ she said, her voice rising a few octaves.

„You're right. Repairing Crescent Rose will be a lot easier with it.“

The black-haired man patted the table in front of them and the girl complied with the silent request. She placed her weapon on the metal surface carefully and stepped aside to let her uncle take a look at it.

Clover leaned against the wall besides the entrance. From there, he had the perfect view of the two.

They looked like two doctors preparing for a surgery. Qrow gathered some tools and put them on a smaller table next to the workstation, while the girl fumbled around with the rifles mechanism until the weapon transformed into its iconic scythe form.

Together, they examined the weapon and took it apart until they found the problem. He explained what he was doing with patience and a professionalism Clover hadn't seen yet, and the girl eagerly listened to every word he said. At some point Yang joined them and gave her own input.

It was yet another side of the huntsman the brunette didn't know about. Another thing he wanted to learn about him. He made a mental note to remind himself to ask later, since he didn't want to interrupt the three.

The way Qrow looked and behaved around his nieces – and by extension the other teens as well – was very different from what people would expect. To someone who didn't know him, he looked like a serious, battle-hardened huntsman, a man feared by Grimm.

But to those he was close to, those he called family, he was a lot more than that. He was caring, warm and friendly. His nieces as well as their friends looked up to him and likewise, he enjoyed their company. And as time went by, it became more obvious than ever.

His time here in Atlas has done the huntsman well. He was smiling, laughing and his eyes were shining brighter. It had brought him out of the deep pit he'd been stuck in before.

And Clover wanted to do his best to make sure Qrow would stay as happy as this. He wanted to be part of that little circle. He wanted to be a reason he could smile like this. He wanted to call himself a part of his family.

His lips formed a warm smile at the thought.

_Did you hear what happened to Ebis team?_

But the sudden memory creeped up on him like an ice cold hand around his neck. His stomach dropped, his heart began to race and he felt his throat tightening from the invisible grip. Unconsciously, his hand went up to it.

„Clover?“

Hearing his name so suddenly brought him back to reality, but the feeling was still there. Qrow made his way towards the operative, the look of concern all over his face.

„Everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.“

„I, uh...“ he only managed to stutter.

He needed a few more seconds to calm himself, before he moved his hand to the back of his neck. He tried to act normally, but his mind had gone blank. He didn't know how to respond.

„It's...it's okay. It's nothing.“

It was obvious that Qrow didn't buy it. His brows furrowed deeper and his eyes were darting back and forth between Clovers as if he was looking for answers in them. Then, he turned around towards his nieces.

„You guys keep going. I'll be back.“

With that, he took Clovers hand and left the workshop. They only stopped once they were outside the academy.

The huntsman turned around without letting go of his hand. He still looked concerned and his voice was low.

„The cold air should help a little.“

The brunette didn't quite understand what Qrow meant or what he wanted to achieve, but it didn't matter to him now.

He closed his eyes when he took a deep breath to calm himself. He kept his focus on his breathing and tried to shut out the voices that kept haunting him. His lungs filled with the cold air with each breath he took, while the warmth of Qrows hand grounded his thoughts.

It wasn't the first time this happened. Whenever he had nightmares or when memories of his childhood resurfaced, his thoughts would be all over the place. They'd make his head spin and the world around him would blur until he couldn't make out his surroundings. Over the years, he learned to live with it, and how to hide it from others. Sometimes, he was even able to fool himself into believing everything was alright.

But it wasn't. And Qrow was now the only one to have seen one of his panic attacks first-hand. For some reason, rather than being ashamed of that, he was glad. Glad that he had someone who would stay by his side until he felt better.

He didn't know how long it took him to calm down, but Qrow gave him the time he needed without saying a word.

With one last exhale, he opened his eyes again. As he looked up, he saw the huntsman smiling at him.

„Better?“

Clover nodded.

„Yeah, thank you.“

In that moment the black-haired man realized they were still holding hands and quickly let go of him, moving it to the back of his neck and hiding his flustered face by looking down at their feet.

„Uh, no problem. I kinda just acted without thinking.“

„How did you..?“ Clover started, not knowing how to continue his question. But it seemed like he didn't need to, because Qrow answered him easily.

„I have them, too. So I can tell when it happens.“

„We really are similar,“ the brunette mumbled.

He didn't know if Qrow was able to hear his words, but even if he did, he didn't say anything. The black-haired man must have realized that as well and knew that he shouldn't pry too much. Both had made experiences that shaped them – whether they were good ones or bad ones. So he must have decided to wait for Clover to open up to him.

Just like Clover wanted to learn about Qrows life little by little. And the thought of that gave him a warm feeling in his chest.

And it made him feel much closer to him than before. Perhaps Clover could be as close to him as he was to his family after all.

„I think we should go back now,“ the operative said, taking Qrows hand and guiding him back inside.


End file.
